Refrigeration



Oct.31, 1939. E. LJSCHYELLENSI A 2,177,880

REFRIGERATION Original Filed Aug. 13, 1935 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 F7 of .INVENTORJ A9. BY U751 Oct. 31, 1939.

E. SCHEL'LENS ET AL REFRIGERATION 6 Sheefs-Sheet 2 Original Filed Aug. 13, 1955 v/Y/ENTORS W ATTORNEY.

Oct. 31, 1939. E. L. SCHELLENS ET AL 2,177,880

REFRIGERATION Original Filed Aug, 15} 1955 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 I W/7f A OZBiEQSNTORS M4 MA J. J af /WM MATTORNEY Oct. 31 1939.

E. SCHELLENS El AL .17 0

, REFRIGERATION 6 shets-sheet 4 Original Filed Aug. 13, 1935 g QV NTORS aka/ha af /MM A TTORNLIY.

O t 31, 1939. E. L. SCHELLENS ET'AL 2,177,880

REFRIGERAT I ON Original Filed Aug. 13, 1935 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 TORS Ely. 6 8 d) Oct. 31, 1939.

E. L. SCHELLENS ET AL REFRIGERATION Original Filed Aug. 13, 1935 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 XJ'NVENTORS 4.11.

Patented Oct. 31. 1939 REFRIGERATION Eugene L. Schellens, Ridgewood, N. J., and William I. Hamby, Great Neck, N. Y., assignors to Servel, Inc., New York, N..Y., a'corporation of Delaware Original application August 13, 1935, Serial No. 35,924. Divided and this application April 29, 1938, Serial No. 204,949

Claims.

This is a division of our copending application Serial No. 35,924, filed August 13, 1935, for Refrigeration, which has now matured into Patent No. 2,134,149, dated October 25, 1938.

This invention relates to refrigerators and it is an object of the invention to provide a refrigerator of improved appearance, operation, and utility as will appear upon consideration of the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification and of which:

Fig. l is a front elevation, partly broken away, of a refrigerator embodying the invention;

Fig.2 is a more or less diagrammatic view of an absorption refrigeration apparatus for the refrigerator;

Fig. 3 is a top view of the refrigerator shown in Fig. 1;

' Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view of the refrigerator; I

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken on line 5-5 in Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a detail section taken on line 6-6 in Figs. 4 and 7;

Fig. 7 is a section taken on line 1--1 in Fig. 6; Fig. 8 is a section taken on line 8- 8 in Fig. 6; and v Fig. 9 is a detail section taken on line 94-9 in Fig. 6.

Referring to Fig. l, a refrigerator II) has a thermally insulated storagev compartment II accessible by meansof a door I2. "The outer surface of the door I2 is flush with the outer surface of the front-of the cabinet Ill and is hinged to the cabinet on one side by means of concealed hinges. The door I2 is provided with a concealed latch on the free side opposite the hinges. The latch is operated by means of mechanism concealed within the door and including a disc I3, or other suitable impact receiving member, which is reciprocable in a recess in the outer surface of the door. A fuller explanation of the door latch and operating mechanism may be had by reference to an application Serial No. 32,741 of Norman evaporator I8 and the absorber I9 are interconnected for circulation of gas therebetween by generator I4 and the absorber I9 are interconnected for circulation of liquid therebetween by means including an analyzer 2I and a liquid heat exchanger 22. The generator I4 is connected for flow of vapor therefrom to the condensing sections I6 and H by means including the analyzer 2|, an air-cooled rectifier 23, and a liquid cooled rectifier 24. The condenser sections I6 and H are provided with heat transfer fins for cooling by air. The absorber I9 is cooled by heat transfer to air through a fluid heat transfer circuit including a coil 25 arranged in thermal conductive relation with the absorber I9 and connected to an air-cooled condenser 26. The circuit including the absorber cooling coil- 25 and the condenser 26 contains a suitable heat transfer fluid such as methyl chloride which vaporizes in the coil 25 and liquefies in the condenser 26.

The refrigeration system contains a solution of refrigerant fluid such as ammonia in an absorption liquid such as water. The solution, for instance, a thirty per cent solution of ammonia in water, may be introduced into the system through a suitable charging plug (not shown) in the lower part of the absorber I9. A suitable inert pressure equalizing gas, such as hydrogen, is then introduced into the system at a pressure corresponding to that in which ammonia condenses at a fairly high room temperature as, for instance, 100 F. The generator I4 is suitably heated as,

; for instance, by a gas burner 21 arranged so that the burner flame is projected into a flue 28.

' Operation of the burner may be automatically controlled by a thermostatically operatedvalve I5 in the burner supply line; The valve operating thermostat shown in Fig. 2 is of an expansible fluid type and the sensitive bulb I5a is located adjacent the evaporator I8.

In operation of the refrigeration system, ammonia vapor expelled from solution by heat in the generator I4 flows from the upper end of the generator stand-pipe 29 through a conduit 30 into the analyzer 2|, where the vapor bubbles upwardly through enriched absorption liquid. From the analyzer 2|, ammonia vapor flows in conduit 3| through the air-cooled or high temperature rectifier 23 and the lower'temperature condenser section I6 passes through conduit 32,

the upper part of the rectifier 24, and a conduit 34 into the second condenser section ll. Liquid ammonia formed by condensation in the condenser section flows through conduit 35 and conduit 33 into the evaporator I8.

In the evaporator Hi, the liquid ammonia flows downwardly, evaporating and difiusing into hydrogen which enters the lower part of the evaporator through a conduit 36. The resulting gas mixture flows from the upper end of the evaporator l8 through a conduit 31, the inner passage 38 of the gas heat exchanger 26, and conduit 39 into the absorber l9. In the absorber, ammonia is absorbed out of the gas mixture into weakened absorption liquid which enters the upper part of the absorber through a conduit 40. The weak gas flows from the absorber through a conduit 4|,

the outer passage 42 of the gas heat exchanger 20, and conduit 36 to the evaporator l8.

Enriched absorption liquid flows from the lower part of the absorber l9 through a conduit 43, the

outer passage 44 of the liquid heat exchanger 22,

a conduit 45, the analyzer 2|, and a conduit 46 to a chamber 41 in the generator l4. The enriched absorption liquid is raised by thermosyphon action from the chamber 41 through a conduit 48 into the upper part of the generator stand-pipe 29. The lower end of the generator stand-pipe 29 is connected to a chamber 49 of the generator from which weakened absorption liquid flows through a conduit 50, the inner passage 6| of the liquid heat exchanger 22, and the conduit 40 into the upper part of the absorber IS.

The lower end of the condenser section I! is connected by means of a conduit 52 to a vessel 53, commonly referred to as a pressure vessel, which is connected by means of a conduit 54 to the absorber l9. By means of this path of flow from the condenser to the absorber, non-condensible hydrogen is conducted to the gas circuit instead of becoming trapped after passage through the condenser. The vessel 53 provides storage space for hydrogen which is displaced by uncondensed ammonia vapor and forced into the gas circuit, thus raising the total pressure in the system on increase in air temperature beyond that for which the system was initially charged.

The manner in which the above described refrigeration apparatus is arranged and located in the refrigerator may be seen in Figs. 4 and 5 and the succeeding detail figures. In these figures, the same parts of the apparatus are numbered the same as in Fig. 2. The generator l4, analyzer M, and liquid heat exchanger 22 are encased in thermal insulation material 55, indicated in dotted outline in Fig. 2 and in solid outline in Figs. 4 and 5. The refrigerator ID, in addition to the thermally insulated storage compartment II, is provided with an apparatus compartment having a horizontal portion 56 in the lower part of the refrigerator, and a communicating upright portion 51 in the rear ofthe refrigerator. Additionally; the upper part of the refrigerator is formed to provide two horizontal compartments 56 and 59 along the top side edges of the refrigerator and extending forwardly from the upper end of the rear compartment 51. The outer casing of the refrigerator is constructed to provide a linear opening 60 extending horizontally around the upper part of the refrigerator on the two sides and the rear, and at the bottom of the upper compartments 56 and 59.

Asmay be seen in Fig. 3, the top of the refrigerator is provided with a generally U-shaped or horseshoe shaped linear opening 6h The sides or legs of the opening 5! overlie the compartments 58 and 59, and the cross portion of the top opening 6| overlies the upper end of the rear apparatus compartment 517. It will now be understood that air may enter the side opening Eli and flow upwardly through compartments 58 and 59 and the upper part of compartment 51, leaving the top of these compartments through the opening 6|. The first condenser section i6 is located generally horizontally in the top compartment 59 and arranged therein at an angle so that its heat transfer fins extend across the path of air flow upwardly through the compartment 59. The condenser section i1 is generally L-shaped, having two portions I la and Nb generally perpendicular to each other. The portion Fla is located in the upper end of the rear apparatus compartment chamber 51, and the portion I'lb is arranged similarly to the first condenser section IE, but in the top compartment 58 on the opposite side of the refrigerator from the condenser section IS in the top compartment 59. It will now be understood that air entering the side opening 60 flows upwardly in thermal contact with the condenser sections l6 and I7 and then out through the top air outlet opening fit. It will be seen that the condenser, comprising sections l6 and I1, is generally U-shaped or horseshoe shaped.

Referring now more particularly to Figs. 4 and 6 to 9, the refrigerator storage compartment l I is outlined by what is usually referred to as a liner 62, enclosed by thermal insulation material 63. The liner 62 is generally rectangular, and may be formed of sheet metal which is porcelained on theinterior to provide sanitary walls for the storage compartment. The upper parts of the sidewalls formed by the liner 62 are inclined slightly inwardly. This angular structure of the storage compartment at the top of the refrigerator permits of the previously described condenser compartments 58 and 59 in the outer side edges at the top of the refrigerator and within the generally rectangular contour of the refrigerator.- The top of the storage compartment ll The lower part of the evaporator coil I8 is located horizontally between, and in contact with, two generally similar receptacles 61 and 66. The receptacle 68 may be provided with a partition or shelf 69. The receptacles 61 and 66 are open at their forward ends and in alignment with the openings 65 and 66 in the shield plate 64. It will now be understood that the receptacles 61 and 68 form freezing compartments and are for the purpose of receiving ice freezing trays or the like. The front ends of these trays may be seen in Fig. 1. Two ordinary size trays 10 and 'H may be placed in the receptacle 68 which is provided with the intermediate partition or shelf 69 and a double size tray 12 for frozen desserts or the like may be placed in the left hand receptacle 61.

Around the outside of each of the receptacles 61 and 68 and in spaced relation thereto are placed metal casings I3 and 14. A larger upper loop 18b of the evaporator coil is located within the casings I3 and I4 and in thermal contact therewith. The top surfaces of the casings I3 and I4 are sloped downwardly toward the opening 15 in the middle of the lower part of the evaporator coil I8. These sloping surfaces are corrugated to form finned heat transfer surfaces 16 and 11. An annular casing or sleeve 18 is placed inside of the coil l8. An annular member 19 provides a trough directly beneath the evaporator coil l8 and has a drain opening or spout ,80 in the rear of the storage compartment H. The spaces between the receptacles 61 and 68 on one hand and the casings l3 and 14 and the sleeve 18 on the other hand are filled with suitable insulation material. stood that the lower part ofthe cooling coil I8 is in thermal contact with the receptacles 61 and 68 forming the freezing compartments and also with the annular casing or sleeve 18 on the inside of the coil 3. The outer casings I3 and I4, provided-with the heat transfer fins I6 and 11, are in thermal contact with the upper turn l8b ofthe cooling coil, which is at a higher temperature than the lower part. The reason for this is that hydrogen fiowsupwardly through the cooling coil l8, and the partial pressure of ammonia is greater in the upper part of the coil than in the lower part of the coil, wherefore the ammonia evaporates at a higher temperature in the upper part of the coil.

It willbe understood that the cooling element structure just described may be mounted on a removable insulated wall section or closure member 8| which fits into a window or opening in the rear .wall of the thermally insulated storage compartment II, as may be seen in Figs. 4 and 9. Thus, the cooling element may be removably assembled and disassembled as a unit with the re-- frigeration apparatus, the cooling element being inserted and withdrawn through the wall opening into which the closure member 8! fits when the apparatus is assembled in the refrigerator.

Referring now to Fig, 6, the direction of air flow'in the storage compartment II is indicated by arrows. Air flows upwardly at each side of the refrigerator compartment, up behind the shield plate 64, across the upper part of the casings 13 and .14 in contact with the fins I6 and TI, and thence downwardly through the opening 15 in the center of the lower part of the cooling coil I8. Air is caused to flow in this direction for the reason that the sleeve 18 on the inside of the cooling coil i8 is at a lower. temperature than the other cooling surfaces of the cooling 1 element contacted by the air, wherefore air moves downwardly within the sleeve 18.

when frost is melted from the cooling element, the drip is collected in the trough I9 and discharged in the rear of the storage compartment I I by way of the spout 80, into any suitable vessel placed beneath the spout.

Referring to Fig. 9, a suitable lamp 83, such as an electric light bulb connected, as known, to be lighted when the door i2 'is open, is located in the top of the storage compartment H, behind the shield plate 64. and above the central opening 15 in the center of the cooling coil IS. The light is directed downwardly through the central opening 15 into the refrigerator storage compartment therebelow, whereby light is available while its source is concealed.

The other parts of the refrigeration apparatus are located in the apparatus compartments 58 It will be underand 51, as illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5. The horizontal portion of the generator M and the liquid heat exchanger 22 in the lower part of the insulation casing 55 are located in the lower apparatus compartment 56, so'that the burner 21 is at the front of the refrigerator cabinet l0 and receives air for combustion through louvres 8E. The other parts of the apparatus are arranged in the rear upright apparatus compartment 51. The gas heat exchanger 20 is preferably recessed in the insulation 63 of the storage compartment wall. The rear wall of the refrigerator I0 is provided with an opening or lattice-work directly opposite the absorber cooling condenser' 26. Air fiowsthrough the lattice-work 85, upwardly over the condenser 26, upwardly through the upper part of the apparatus compartment 51, and out through the opening Si in the top of the refrigerator. This upward flow of air in the upper part of the apparatus compartment 51 aids in cooling the section Ila of the condenser by inducing a greater fiow of air through the opening 60 and upwardly over the condenser section I'Ia.

It will be understood that other changes may be made within the scope of the invention which is not limited except as indicated in the 'following claims.

What is claimed is: a

1. A refrigerator having a generally rectangular door opening affording access at the front of a generally rectangular storage compartment,

the side walls of said storage compartment being sloped inwardly near the top, and a generally rectangular plate concealing the upper part of said storage compartment formed by the sloped side walls.

2. A refrigerator having a generally rectangular door opening affording access at the front of a generally rectangular storage compartment, the side walls of said storage compartment being sloped inwardly near the top, a generally rectangular plate concealing the upper part of said storage compartment formed by the sloped side walls, and a cooling element in the upper part of said storage compartment behind said plate.

3. A refrigerator having a generally rectangular door opening affording access at the front of a generally rectangular storage compartment, the side ,walls of said storage compartment being sloped inwardly at the top, a generally rectangular plate concealing the upper part, of said storward through said opening to illuminate the interior of the refrigerator. v

5. A refrigerator including a thermally insulated storage compartment accessible at the front by means of a door, a plate concealing the upper part of said storage compartment, a cooling elementhaving an opening therethrough and lo-' cated in the upper part of said storage compartment behind said plate, a source of light behind said plate and above said cooling element and age compartment formed by the sloped side walls, and a cooling element having a freezing compartdirected vertically downward through said opening to illuminate said storage compartment.

EUGENE L. SCHELLENS. WILLIAM I. HAMBY. 

